MACC Investigation Division Secretariat assistant commissioner Lim Bee Kean said the individuals were believed to be involved and cited in a Youtube video linked to the alleged case.

“Actually, investigations had been ongoing since June 2011, even before the video exposure,” she told a media conference at the MACC headquarters here today.

The video entitled,’Inside Malaysia’s Shadow State’ was allegedly a recording of a conversation between a personal investigator for a London-based non-governmental organisation, Global Witness and two of Taib’s cousins.

Lim said to expedite the investigation, a special team comprising 10 officers from the MACC, Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and other agencies had been set up, and that the investigation report would be submitted to the AGC for further action.

She said once the investigation had been completed and a decision made by the public prosecutor, MACC’s Operations Assessment Panel (OAP) would be acknowledged on the status of the case.

“The OAP, an independent panel made up of individuals representing various professional backgrounds is tasked with ensuring transparency and impartiality in investigations carried out by the MACC, she said.

Lim said the MACC was also monitored by the Special Committee on Corruption, which comprised government and opposition state assemblymen and members of parliament.

She said the MACC conducted all the cases without fear or favour and in this regard, had received full cooperation from the individuals concerned including Taib.

“As in other cases prior to this one, the MACC will not divulge the investigation details, in accordance with Section 29(4) of the MACC Act 2009.

“As this case involves numerous documents and parties, the investigation will probably take time for the collection of evidence, statements and in light of new developments,” she said.

The key performance indicator (KPI) under the National Key Results Area (NKRA) in fighting corruption has been fully achieved. NKRA against corruption director Datuk Hisham Nordin said the targets had been evaluated by an internationalpanel which recognised the determination of the government to stamp out corruption.

“The international panel praised our country for its seriousness in fighting corruption. This is not cosmetic or rhetoric, but something real in the GTP (Government Transformation Programme) framework,” he said after participating
in the Helo Malaysia talk show over BernamaTV on Tuesday.

Hisham said one proof of the government’s sincerity in fighting corruption was the setting up of an anticorruption KPI through the NKRA and improving the country’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index.
He said fighting corruption was an ongoing process because various aspects had to be evaluated. “It is a continuous work in progress. It has no end. We cannot say one day that we can stop fighting corruption. There is no ending in the fight.”

He said it was a major challenge to educate the people on the government’s efforts to fight corruption. Hisham also said a training module on integrity and the assimilation of noble values was being drawn up with the Malaysian AntiCorruption
Commission to instil values and ethics in elected representatives.
“The training may be conducted for the new members of parliament and state assemblymen after the 13th General Election.” He also said Barisan Nasional’s “Promise of Hope” manifesto was not a bribe for votes because it was a promise of common benefits and not only given to certain individuals. Bernama

People have the power to question mischievous officials

by : M. KRISHNAMOORTHY from Petaling Jaya

We always seem to ask what the MalaysianAntiCorruptionCommission (MACC) or the Government is doing tofight corruption while not realising that therewe can take steps on our own. Yes, it is time the man on the street realises that he can take the bull by the horns and demand for justice and efficiency.

However, before embarking on such a mission, it is important to be clear on your rights and know the facts. Let me give you an example of how I used this doityourself approach to help a friendrenew his business licence.

Recently, an engineer friend of mine told me that he had applied for a business licence renewal through a runner as he did not have the time to go through the process personally. However, after eight weeks, there was still no news, and’his wife, who ran the business, was afraid that they would be operating without the licence.

According to my friend, the runner had told him that the delay was because no “undertable” payment had been made to expedite the renewal process. However, the engineer felt this was unnecessary as it was just a simple renewal. “I am afraid that if I make a fuss, I might be penalised by the council.

“According to my runner, the officials in question would not settle for anything less than RM500,” my friend told me when he appealed for my help, knowing that I had assisted other friends in similar situations.

As I am a firm believer in two principles —
“Love all, serve all” and “Service to man is service to God” 1 could not refuse and followed the engineer to the licensing office. At the counter, I asked why the renewal had taken more than two months when it would normally take less than two weeks.

I also raised my voice and asked the receptionist, “One runner told me you want some extra money before approving the application. Is this true?” The receptionist denied that any such request had been made, and I further queried why it
had taken so long, especially since Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had called on public servants to respond to complaints within three days. The receptionist said she would check on the matter and returned 10 minutes later, saying that she could not locate the original application.

Since 1 had feared this would happen, 1 was prepared and told her that we had all the paperwork with us. She filed our application and said the authorities would make an appointment to inspect the premises within a week to ensure compliance
with the conditions of the licence.

My friend and I were happy as we thought that the problem had been solved. However, the following day, the engineer told me that his runner had said certain officials were asking for kickbacks before issuing any approval. I immediately told him that we would be visiting the council again.

This time, I did not mince my words as I said to the clerk, “Do you need any extra money for the approval? “If you do, please tell me who wants it and I will report the name to your superiors!” The clerk insisted that no extra “payment” was required and introduced us to another officer.

“We will not have to come to your premises for an inspection and your application has been approved. If you wait for a short while, we will give you the new licence,” the new officer told us. Within 15 minutes, my friend’s licence was renewed, at no extra cost While it may seem like a small victory, it contains lessons for everyone on how to tackle corruption.

We should take the initiative to question the authorities if there is any delay. We must know the deadlines set out in the authority’s client charter and use this as an indication of untoward delays.

At the end of the day, all government departments carry out their own internal audits and if we, as consumers, highlight our difficulties, any wrongdoing will come to light, providing a check in the system. We must be brave and willing to question the authorities.

We must be proactive and take the initiative to ensure that we do not fall for underhanded dealings. It is because of fear that we become victims of corruption.

So, pick up you courage, know your rights and the facts and question the authorities in your own personal fight against corruption.

KUALA LUMPUR – Election promises to bring development to constituents in the form of building schools, parks, highways and creating employment opportunities do not tantamount to vote buying, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Senior Commissioner Han Chee Rull.

“Campaign promises and party manifestos are intended to benefit the public no matter who they vote for,” he explained during the Sixth Session of the ‘International Conference on Malaysia 13th General Election’ entitled ‘Combating money politics and electoral corruption in light of Malaysia 13th General Election’, organised by the YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s office on 5 March 2013.

“The courts have decided (in the past) that promises of development funds do not constitute bribery,” he said, adding that “MACC does not make the law but enforces the law. It is up to the courts to interpret the law”.

Earlier, former International Islamic University Professor of Law Dr. Abdul Aziz Bari pointed out that election manifestos are not contracts of law. He added that it is every governments’ right to promote their election manifestos and for the people to decide.

“It is for the people to decide if the manifesto is sensible or not, not the courts of law. If every problem is taken to the courts, then what about the other more important cases?” he asked before adding that political issues should be settled within the political scene.

“It is good that the courts do not act whenever such issues arise. Let the people and politicians deal with them,” he said before adding that rules and regulations are not good and will only serve to complicate matters.

Opportunities Of Abuse Of Power By Caretaker Government

Regarding questions concerning opportunities of power abuse by the caretaker government and prosecution of the corruption offenders, Dr. Abdul Aziz Bari said that the sole power lies with the Attorney-General (AG) to bring the crooks to court.

“The AG is a very powerful man. Even the police have to submit their Investigation Papers (IPs) to the AG. The AG is the last person to decide and institute a decision,” he said.

Similarly, Han pointed out that MACC can only investigate corrupt offences in the Election Offences Act 1954 independently and without fear or favour but the decision to prosecute lies with the Public Prosecutor under the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

MACC Established Following Changes In Political Landscape

Reacting to the political scenario in 2008, the (then) Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) proposed an independent Commission with check-and-balance mechanisms.

“In respect to investigations, MACC is accountable to the Operations Review Panel as check-and-balance on ongoing cases,” he said, adding that this was so that MACC could fulfill the public expectations in executing its designated legal obligations.

Preparation for General Election

In preparing for the 13th General Election, Han said that MACC is working very closely with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) and Election Commission (SPR). He stated that a task force has been set up to monitor and enforce laws during the upcoming General Election.

“This joint effort by various agencies had its meeting two weeks ago and MACC is assisting SPR in monitoring corruption offences. Teams of investigators will be dispatched on 24 hours standby,” he said.

He mentioned that there will be deployment of MACC officers on the ground during campaign trails to gather information and intelligence on corruption. The Commission will also provide Integrity Screenings to all, he added.

University Malaysia Sarawak Faculty of Social Sciences Associate Professor Dr. Andrew Aeria urged everyone to assist and help the MACC by documenting and providing all information of corrupt acts to the Commission during the General Election.

“Put those information in your Facebook, update your twitter and blogs,” he encouraged the audience. [ENDS]

By Azman Ujang

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (Bernama) — Interpol, the world’s largest international police organisation which supports law enforcement agencies in 190 member countries, is working very closely with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the transfer and sharing of knowledge to combat corruption.

Interpol secretary-general Ronald K. Noble said: “For us, the cooperation between Interpol and MACC is very strong. We have the closest of cooperation in terms of investigative techniques that are used to expose corruption and on investigations where there are international elements involved.”

He was speaking to Bernama here on Thursday, at the end of a two-day conference organised by Interpol, Fifa, the world’s football governing body, Asian Football Confederation and MACC, to deal with match-fixing which afflicts world football.

The conference was held, following revelations two weeks ago that almost 700 matches worldwide, including Champions League ties and World Cup qualifiers, were targeted by gambling gangs.

Noble said the Interpol-MACC cooperation was further strengthened with the secondment of an MACC officer to the Interpol Secretariat in Lyon, France.

MACC Assistant Senior Commissioner Mohd Hafaz Nazar reported for duty as a Criminal Investigation Officer in May last year, on a two-year stint at the secretariat.

In addition, MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed has been a member of the Interpol Group of Experts on Corruption for the past 12 years.

Among Abu Kassim’s notable contributions was the Manual of Best Practices for anti-corruption and asset recovery procedures.

Noble said it was really an ideal relationship and he always thought that “we have to try to get better, but right now, in terms of it being strong, it is very strong.”

On the next agenda in their cooperation, the Interpol chief said, from his perspective, he would like to develop course work, together with the MACC, that would allow e-learning to happen in Malaysia in combating corruption.

“This could be expanded regionally around the world. I think that’s the next step for Interpol and MACC, ” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR – Interpol is working very closely with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the transfer and sharing of knowledge to combat corruption.

“For us, the cooperation between Interpol and MACC is very strong. We have the closest of cooperation in terms of investigative techniques that are used to expose corruption and on investigations where there are international elements involved,” said Interpol secretary-general Ronald K. Noble.

Interpol is the world’s largest international police organisation which supports law enforcement agencies in 190 member countries.

He was speaking to Bernama here on Thursday, at the end of a two-day conference organised by Interpol, Fifa, the world’s football governing body, Asian Football Confederation and the MACC, to deal with match-fixing which afflicts world football.

The conference was held, following revelations two weeks ago that almost 700 matches worldwide, including Champions League ties and World Cup qualifiers, were targeted by gambling syndicates.

Noble said the Interpol-MACC cooperation was further strengthened with the secondment of an MACC officer to the Interpol Secre-tariat in Lyon, France.

MACC assistant senior commissioner Mohd Hafaz Nazar reported for duty as a criminal investigation officer in May last year, on a two-year stint at the secretariat.

WASHINGTON: Crime, corruption and tax evasion have cost the developing world nearly $6 trillion over the past decade, and illicit funds keep growing, led by China, a financial watchdog group said in a new report.

China accounted for almost half of the $858.8 billion in dirty money that flowed into tax havens and Western banks in 2010, more than eight times the amounts for runner-ups Malaysia and Mexico. Total illicit outflows increased by 11 percent from the prior year, Global Financial Integrity, a Washington-based group that campaigns for financial accountability, said in its latest report released on Monday.

“Astronomical sums of dirty money continue to flow out of the developing world and into offshore tax havens and developed country banks,” said Raymond Baker, director of GFI.

“Developing countries are hemorrhaging more and more money at a time when rich and poor nations alike are struggling to spur economic growth. This report should be a wake-up call to world leaders that more must be done to address these harmful outflows,” he said.

All the countries in the top 10, which this year saw India, Nigeria, the Philippines and Nigeria join the ranks, face significant problems with corruption, and in most there are vast gaps between rich and poor citizens as well as internal security problems.

Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies increasingly are focusing on ways to crack down on money laundering, bank secrecy and tax loopholes to prevent funds stolen from public coffers or earned through criminal activity from depleting the budgets of developing countries. The sums are so huge that for every dollar in foreign direct aid, $10 leaves developing countries.
China lost $420.4 billion in 2010 and over the decade lost a total of $2.74 trillion. And its losses are steadily rising. In an October report, GFI said another $602 billion in illicit flows left China in 2011 for a total of $3.79 trillion between 2000-11.

However, the numbers in the latest report are not directly comparable with earlier data because GFI has updated its methodology, making the estimates somewhat more conservative. It measures illicit flows by calculating the difference between fund inflows from loans and net foreign direct investment, and the outflows from a country to pay for trade, cash transfers and other earnings.

Aware of the destabilizing impact of corrupt money, Chinese leaders are embarking on a crackdown. Outgoing President Hu Jintao recently warned corruption threatens to destroy the communist party and the state. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin last week also put the issue high on his agenda as citizen protests over corruption mount.

“Our report continues to demonstrate that the Chinese economy is a ticking time bomb,” said Dev Kar, GFI’s lead economist, who compiled the report. “The social, political and economic order in that country is not sustainable in the long run given such massive illicit outflows.”

Mexico lost $51.17 billion in illicit flows in 2010 for a total of $476 billion over the last decade, which does not even count the billions of dollars in bulk cash that probably left under organized crime and drug dealing. Malaysia, an export-dominated economy with a wealthy elite, lost $64.38 billion in 2010 and $285 billion cumulatively between 2001 and 2010, the report said.

Illicit financial flows have grown by 13.3 percent a year since 2001, robbing countries of wealth and benefiting a handful of corrupt leaders. Kar said the worsening picture over the past decade coincides with the globalization of finance and loosening of capital controls, changes that make it easier to transfer funds to Western banks and to tax havens.

“Until governance improves and measures to shrink the underground economy take hold, we will not see a sustained decline in illicit flows,” Kar said.

GFI called on world leaders to accelerate efforts to curtail the flow of dirty money by clamping down on secret bank accounts and ownership of shell companies; reforming customs and trade protocols so that export/import payments cannot be used to hide illegal fund transfers; requiring multinational companies to report their profits by country to prevent tax avoidance; and strongly enforcing anti money-laundering laws. reuters

We, the representatives of Anti-Corruption Authorities of 111 Member States of the United Nations and regions and of 12 International Organizations, gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Sixth Annual Conference and General Meeting of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) devoted to “Technical Assistance and Information Exchange” (Chapter VI of United Nations Convention Against Corruption – UNCAC):

Recalling United Nations General Assembly Resolution 58/4, by which the Assembly adopted the UNCAC and established International Anti-Corruption Day as the 9th of December each year,

Recalling also all relevant United Nations General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Resolutions calling for the expeditious ratification and full implementation of the UNCAC,

Recalling further our Beijing, Bali, Kiev, Macao and Marrakech Declarations, as well as the recommendations made by the side-event of the Conference of the States Parties to the UNCAC (CoSP) held in Amman and co-organized by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and IAACA,

Aware of the importance of the Resolutions adopted by the CoSP, at its First, Second, Third and Fourth sessions held respectively at Amman, Nusa Dua, Doha and Marrakech,

Convinced that relevant government agencies, civil society and relevant professional organizations can individually and collectively make significant contributions to the effective implementation of the UNCAC,

1. Express our gratitude to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, for hosting the Sixth Annual Conference and General Meeting of IAACA, as well as our deepest appreciation to the Government and People of Malaysia for their warm hospitality;

2. Extend our appreciation to the Government of Tanzania and in particular the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau for hosting the Executive Committee meeting of the IAACA held in Arusha from 30 March to 1 April 2012;

3. Recognize and affirm the importance of affording technical assistance, including material support, training, relevant experience and specialized knowledge to meet the individual needs of States Parties for the effective implementation of the UNCAC, and to become an integral part of the overall effort in fighting corruption;

4. Reiterate the importance of compliance by States Parties with the provisions contained in Chapter VI of UNCAC of affording country-led and country-based, integrated and coordinated technical assistance, especially with regard to technical assistance to meet the needs identified by States Parties through the Implementation Review Mechanism of the UNCAC;

5. Urge States Parties to accord high priority to meeting technical assistance requirements identified and prioritized in their responses to the comprehensive self-assessment checklists and the country reports;

6. Encourage States Parties to initiate, develop or improve specific training programmes on preventing and combating corruption to improve law enforcement skills for competent officials;

7. Urge States Parties to afford one another the widest measure of support, including training, exchange of relevant experience and specialized knowledge to facilitate international cooperation in line with the relevant UNCAC’s provisions;

8. Pledge our full support to help States Parties identify and substantiate specific needs for technical assistance, and to promote and facilitate the provision of such assistance to fill the identified gaps;

9. Strongly encourage UNODC to continue to provide developing countries and countries with economies in transition, upon request and in response to their specific requirements, a wide range of capacity building assistance, as well as direct expertise on policy formulation, through the Office’s thematic and regional programmes, and recommend that multilateral and bilateral providers of technical assistance include the objectives of the UNCAC as an integral part of their annual commitments and increase the amount of resources devoted to supporting developing countries to implement the Convention, in close cooperation with UNODC and IAACA;

10. Call upon the Executive Committee to consider the needs of IAACA members, including proposing, overseeing and evaluating current training-related activities, so as to help equip policy makers and practitioners with the requisite knowledge and skills in the fight against corruption, as set out in the Work Plan;

11. Pledge our full support to the ongoing efforts and recommendations of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Asset Recovery, established to advise and assist the CoSP in the implementation of its mandate on the return of proceeds of corruption, in developing cumulative knowledge, encouraging cooperation, facilitating the exchange of information and identifying capacity building needs, and look forward to the implementation of its multi-year work plan relating to asset recovery, covering the period 2012 – 2015;

12. Recognize the continuing and valuable role of the joint UNODC and World Bank StAR (Stolen Asset Recovery) Initiative as a driving force in the asset recovery agenda, and call upon States Parties to continue to actively support the Initiative in its work;

13. Welcome with satisfaction the fact that 161 countries have ratified or acceded to the UNCAC and urge the Governments of those countries that have not yet done so to move swiftly and with conviction to ratify or accede to the Convention, in order to achieve the goal of universal adherence to the Convention;

14. Welcome with appreciation the important decisions of the CoSP in its four sessions held to date, and look forward to further progress in the implementation of its mandate through its Fifth session, to be held in Panama in 2013;

15. Commend UNODC for its exceptional work and commitment in serving as the Secretariat of the CoSP and its subsidiary bodies and in implementing the Resolutions of the CoSP, including its efforts towards the effective delivery of technical assistance;

16. Underline the importance of the role of the CoSP in monitoring the implementation of the Convention and reiterate our call to the Executive Committee of IAACA, in consultation with the Secretariat of the CoSP, to seek appropriate ways to establish closer collaboration between IAACA and the CoSP in order to enhance the involvement and contribution of IAACA and its members in properly and effectively implementing the recommendations made by the CoSP;

17. Look forward to the outcome of the Implementation Review Mechanism of the UNCAC, and call upon the Executive Committee of IAACA to encourage sharing of the experience gained by its members in the review process;

18.Reiterate our call upon all Member States to institute relevant reforms that promote professionalism and effectiveness of anti-corruption authorities in preventing and combating corruption, the independence and integrity of the judiciary, the prevention of conflict of interest in public office, freedom of access to information, and transparency and accountability in public administration, as well as to ensure and preserve the full independence of all relevant anti-corruption authorities; and in this context, welcome with appreciation and commend the achievements of the network European Partners against Corruption (EPAC/EACN) in unanimously adopting Universal Principles and Standards for Anti-Corruption Authorities and encourage all Members States to take favourable note of them and translate them into reality;

19. Urge anti-corruption authorities to proactively promote with their respective Governments and legislative bodies the development and implementation of appropriate programmes of work in order to maintain, sustain and strengthen the momentum generated by the UNCAC, and to devote continued attention to both their vital preventive role and crucial law enforcement functions, as applicable, which are fundamental for the practical and effective application of all the relevant provisions of the UNCAC and for enhanced international cooperation;

20. Urge Member States as well as relevant international organizations and financial institutions, on the basis of the principle of shared responsibility and collective global action, to consider providing additional resources to support such efforts, including by contributing to the UNODC special account a percentage of the money or of the corresponding value of proceeds of crime or property confiscated in accordance with the provisions of UNCAC, in line with Article 62 (c) of the Convention;

21. Express our deepest appreciation to all relevant international and professional associations, Intergovernmental and Nongovenmental organizations, civil society and the media for raising public awareness of UNCAC and the destructive effect of corruption in its many and varied forms, by extending their continuing support and cooperation to IAACA and to the CoSP, and underscore the importance of protection of witnesses, experts, victims, prosecutors, judges and those other persons engaged in the fight against corruption;

22. Express also our appreciation to the Executive Committee for implementing the initiatives agreed upon in the Work Plan, which resulted in the identification of new avenues for enhanced international cooperation in the fight against corruption, generating also a number of new and innovative ideas in our anti-corruption awareness campaigns and networking platform, and request the Executive Committee to devote sufficient resources to ensure that the Work Plan is implemented in an effective, structured and sustained manner;

23. Welcome with appreciation and commend the launch by the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) of the first international and inter-disciplinary Master programme in Anti-Corruption Studies, designed for working professionals of all sectors of society who wish to remain fully employed while pursuing their degree and designed to further empower them in their important anti-corruption work, invite all Member States to send participants and consider taking over scholarships for participants from LDCs; and encourage enhanced cooperation between IAACA, IACA, all member countries, the Malaysian Anticorruption Academy (MACA) and other regional and national training institutions, by sharing knowledge, expertise and best practices as well as by developing curricula for joint training activities, and by doing so taking into account the results of the review mechanism of the UNCAC;

24. Extend our appreciation and commend the efforts of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China for hosting the International Anti-Corruption Public Service Announcement Video Competition and Workshop in Hong Kong in December 2011, attracting 29 contesting entries from anti-graft bodies and law enforcement agencies of 21 countries and places, also acknowledging with great gratitude the support or pledges of other countries like Brazil and India in carrying out some other joint activities included in the Work Plan;

25. Welcome with great satisfaction the important contributions and joint initiatives of IAACA Members already generated by the Work Plan, and strongly encourage other Members to become fully involved in its further implementation, by contributing suggestions or undertaking initiatives, whether individually or jointly with other Members and in close collaboration with the IAACA Secretariat, with a view to supporting IAACA in realizing the ultimate goal of the Association in promoting the effective implementation of the UNCAC;

26. Extend our appreciation to the People’s Republic of China for hosting, and commend the efforts of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate for the successful conduct of the training seminar organized by IAACA in Dalian in June 2012, which was attended by 420 participants from 81 countries, as well as for its continuous support for organizing and hosting such training seminars, and encourage other IAACA Members to hold similar training events not only regionally or subregionally but also at the national level;

27. Appreciate the stewardship and direction shown by the founding and incumbent Presidents of the Association in continuously fostering cooperation and partnership among anti-corruption authorities and with relevant international, regional and national organizations and institutions in furtherance of the anti-corruption cause, and commend the Secretariat for providing energetic and highly professional support to the work of the Association; and

28. Decide that the text of this Declaration be widely circulated by the relevant anti-corruption authorities in their respective countries and that it should be submitted to the CoSP, in addition to the United Nations General Assembly and other relevant bodies of the United Nations.